


Lineage

by sugarcomatosed



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Children are innocent and ask tough questions, Family Feels, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Pre-Canon, mentions of original characters cause i just made up a bunch of stuff about Alm's mom shrug emoji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 03:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarcomatosed/pseuds/sugarcomatosed
Summary: Alm has questions, and Mycen tries to have the answers. How do you tell a curious child about his parents when he doesn't even know who he is? Mycen finds it's easiest to tell his adoptive grandson bits of the truth rather than tell him full lies.





	Lineage

Life in Ram Village continued on at a slow pace. Not unpleasant, not unusual, but quiet and still. 

The least quiet part where the children. The children laughed and played and were curious little things. 

That curiosity including his ward. 

“What happened to my Papa and Mama?”

Mycen paused in the polishing of his armor.

“Where did this come from?” Mycen asked. Alm looked up from his place on the floor. The boy had been thumbing through a book in front of the fire while Mycen worked. 

Alm squirmed and shrugged. 

“...Alm.” Mycen said patiently. 

Alm sulked and turned the pages of his book.

“Tobin and Grey both have their papa and mama. Faye and Kliff too. I’m the only one without them.”

Ah. He’d stayed over for lunch at Grey’s today. He was hardly seven, his birthday had been only a month prior, in fact the book he was playing with had been one of his gifts. He was getting older though, Alm was starting to wonder about things and notice he was different from his peers.

“Your parents passed away when you were very young.” Mycen began.

Alm got very quiet.

“Oh.” He said. It was not the answer he’d wanted, but he must have expected something like that. He didn’t cry, but looked rather forlorn. 

Mycen put the armor down and patted his lap. “Come here, Alm.” 

Alm smiled brightly. An invitation to sit on his grandpa’s lap was not to be taken lightly. The boy scrambled to his feet and climbed up into his beloved grandfather’s lap. 

Mycen wrapped his arms around the boy. 

“What else do you want to know?” Mycen asked quietly. 

Alm wiggled excitedly. 

“Was Mama nice? Did she sing songs?”

“She would sing if you had asked.” Mycen assured him. “She would have loved to sing to you.”

“Faye’s mama sings a lot.” Alm explained. “But Grey’s doesn’t. So not all mamas sing.” He deduced. 

He really was innocent. Mycen thought of other things he could say about Queen Elysia. 

She was called a flower of Rigel. She brought life to the snowy world. Her mind was sharp and she loved to laugh. She was stubborn and had bright keen eyes. Alm resembled her greatly. There were plenty of stories but he couldn’t tell the child stories of a Queen. It would have to be the smaller stories. 

“Your mother loved the snow. You were born on a very cold day. She thought it was a good omen.”

“Really?! Snow?” He was wide eyed. It didn’t snow in Ram Village. 

Mycen laughed. “Yes, you were born closer to Rigel. It was a very cold day and as much had it, it snowed.” 

“She once brought in a cat she’d found outside and told your father they were keeping it, he had no choice. She took on more than she could handle, despite people’s warnings...it always worked out.” Mycen was reminiscing too. 

Elysia was even more stubborn than Rudolf. She set her mind on something and that was it. She wasn’t going to be swayed despite the risks things posed. She took Rigelian discipline to a different level. Rudolf was worried she was ignoring the advice of the doctors. Alm’s birth had been difficult. 

It was a hard burden for a little boy to shoulder, to be told his birth had killed his mother. 

He stroked the child’s shoulders. “She passed soon after you were born...but she held you in her arms and smiled....she was very excited for your arrival. Never doubt she loved you.” 

Alm was quiet. 

“It was one of her last wishes you’d grow up in a peaceful place... but it was not until after your father passed we moved to Ram.”

Alm wrinkled his brow. “I only remember living here.”

“Do you like it here?” Mycen asked.

Alm nodded brightly. “I like the orange tree and the ponds and Tobin and Kliff- and you of course Grandpapa!” 

“...your parents would love to be here with you. Never forget that.”

Alm rested his head on Mycen’s shoulder. 

“What happened to Papa? What was papa like?” 

If only the boy knew. What answer could he give to satisfy the child? 

“You were named after your father. He loved you so strongly, he’d have torn the world apart to protect you. He was stern, a skilled warrior.”

Alm was still but Mycen knew he was listening intently.

“...Like you Grandpapa?”

“Even better than I.” Mycen decided. “We trained together often, as he got older he got better and better. It was inevitable he’d surpass me. He was disciplined.”

“No one’s stronger than you, Grandpapa!” Alm protested. “Was he really stronger?”

Mycen laughed to himself. Alm’s faith in his strength was unshakeable. He was this boy’s entire world and the boy his. “I just told you my boy!”

Alm gaped. Mycen laughed. His adoptive grandson made every day exciting.

There was a simple joy in having a little boy rush up to you with his day’s discoveries and then ask you questions like you knew everything. Alm scrunched his face and thought about his next question.

The fire crackled quietly and Mycen leaned back in his seat. The child was uncharacteristically quiet. 

Alm looked up at Mycen and chewed his bottom lip. He had another question. 

“... how did Papa die?”

Mycen paused.

Rudolf still drew breath but...

He knew the exact day, the exact moment the boy’s father had passed.

The moment Rudolf had died had come when he realized he wasn’t going to see his beloved son grow up, when he wouldn’t be able to teach him to ride or to wield a sword or answer all of his questions surrounding the world. The moment he’d kissed the infant Albein’s head one last time and placed him in Mycen’s arms.

“That’s enough talking of sad things. That story will wait for another day, Alm.” Mycen ruffled the child’s hair with one hand and scooped him up with his other arm. He rose from his seat with the boy clutching him.

“Aw, come on Grandpapa! You’re messing my hair up!” Alm whined, his question was forgotten as plopped him back in front of the fire.

The man rolled his eyes and put another log on the fire.

“Your hair will be fine.”

“Can I help with the logs!”

“You’re too small still.”

“Pleaseeeee Grandpapa!”

“You can watch today. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Really?!”

The questions about his parents at least were done for the night.

It would only be when he stood above his father’s casket did Alm remember the nights he pestered Mycen about his parents.

His adoptive grandfather had never lied.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally hitting endgame in echoes and I've been sitting here for the past few days thinking about how SAD it is that Rudolf loved Alm so much and didn't get to raise him, but also that Mycen did his best to love Alm in his stead and tbh its wrecked me...
> 
> Mycen mentions being handed baby Alm/Albein and Ruldolf being consumed with grief and then Ruldolf puts all the love he wanted to give Alm to Berkut instead.... I lay here in a puddle of tears... he must have suffered so much and still tried to carry on but he was never the same after losing his wife and son on basically the same day. 
> 
> The original idea for this had more of Alm thinking and reflecting on what Mycen said as its contrasted with him fighting his father...I may still revist that but I'm quite happy with grandfather grandson relationships instead. I'd say this around a year, year and a half before Celica comes to Ram?
> 
> I fully made up everything about Alm's mother but I like the contrast that in harsh cold Rigel, the royal family is loving and kind and happy compared to bountiful Zofia where King Lima has mistresses and doesn't care for his children. 
> 
> Now if you'll excuse me I'm still sitting here crying.


End file.
